Utter Chaos, or Something Like It
by lychee loving
Summary: When you have more than a dozen mutant teenagers under a single roof, every day is an exercise in patience... but holidays are another matter entirely. A series of oneshots with a focus on the adult population at Xavier's, and a healthy dash of RoLo.
1. Valentine's Day

He found her in the Rec Room, pouring over what looked like an extensive grocery list (one that had such items as jet fuel and liquid nitrogen, he noticed dimly). It was late at night, past midnight, and all the kids had long since gone to bed.

"Some day, huh?" He set one of two cold beers down in front of her, prompting a quirk of an eyebrow at him. He arched one right back.

She half-smiled at the challenge. She grasped the long neck of the bottle and took an easy swig, completely missing the amused shake of his head. How the hell she got away with nursing a Molson like she'd done it all her life and _still_ come off like royalty was just beyond him, even now.

"I was beginning to think it would never end." She admitted after a moment. Beer was not her usual choice (it had been, years and years ago) as she normally had tea at this time of the night. Drinking with Logan was an exception, though. "And to think, it is only the thirteenth. I believe that the worst is yet to come."

"Ya got that right." He plopped down beside her with a heavy sigh. "Ain't nothing worse than being in a mansion full of crazy hormonal mutant teenagers on Valentine's."

She took a contemplative sip of beer. Each new year had brought with it the addition of more mutants, and it seemed that there was a new relationship every week. It wasn't hard to see why Valentine's was steadily becoming more and more chaotic within the Institute.

"... Truth be told, I didn't think anything would match the excitement of last year." She said, smiling in amusement. "It's almost as if the students were determined to prove me wrong."

"We didn't have the Cajun, last year." Logan grumbled around his own drink. "I swear, if I catch him puttin' the moves on Rogue one more time..."

She can't help the quiet, throaty chuckle that bubbles up from her lips. "Really, Logan. They weren't even doing anything when you 'caught' them."

"You weren't there, 'Roro. They were alone in her room, and they were-..."

"- Talking. I believe the term is _talking, _Logan." She smiled, thinking about Rogue and one of the mansion's two newest residents. "Though I do think Remy was doing most of the talking. It's rare for Rogue to give him the time of day, if at all." Despite Rogue's adamant and continued denial, it was easy to see the growing attraction between the two. No one had expected that development, Logan least of all, but Ororo was of the opinion that the contact was good for the reclusive girl.

"But if that is a scandal," she continued, "then surely sharing a beer with you in the dead of night like this must be downright _illicit_, my friend."

He tilted his head her way, smirking and raising his thick eyebrows at her suggestively. "For you, darlin'? It could be."

Her lips pursed together in an effort to contain a smile. She failed.

He continued on, like he hadn't just practically propositioned her. "Scooter and Jeannie weren't... official or whatever, that time either. And I gotta admit, it was pretty fun seeing Cyke blow a fuse over the flowers that Wings sent over for Jeannie today. Dunno what the rich kid's thinking, but flowers? Really? The guy got a death wish or somethin'?"

"I, for one, thought it rather sweet of him."

"You're just saying that 'cause he sent you flowers too, darlin'."

Well, who was she to deny that? Bouquets of gorgeous carnations were delivered to the Institute earlier in the afternoon, for Jean, Rogue, Kitty and herself. Her own bouquet had been a beautiful selection of white and delicate blue blooms, like a summer sky... A token of thanks, each card had mentioned, for the ladies who helped rescue an angel from New York's sewers a lifetime ago.*

Jean and Kitty had both been instantly enamored, Rogue's cheeks had colored very prettily and the skies were suspiciously cloudless, bright and sunny for the remainder of the day. Naturally, the boys made a fuss of things, in part because Warren was scoring huge points with the girls _without even having to be present_, but also because they'd helped in the rescue too – why didn't _they_ get anything? ("_Well, next time ah talk to War, ah'll let him know you guys want valentines too; that work for ya?_")

Logan scowled at the obviously happy smile on her face, and she took that as her cue to keep the conversation running.

"Jubilation was not with us this time last year, either." She mused. "I'm glad she persuaded her parents to send her back… although Valentine's Day seems more like April Fools' with her and Bobby around."

"Doesn't help that 'bout half the chaos today was their fault." His ears were still ringing from when Kurt had struggled to keep from hurling profanities at them. Turns out that, while certainly very pretty, Jubilee's fireworks just didn't belong inside elaborate, frozen figurines. They appeared to have a tendency to explode rather violently, and the shrapnel had in no way been kind to Kurt's newly dry-cleaned clothes. The mansion still smelled like sulfur from the resulting chase, and Logan was pretty sure the hallways were still echoing with their shouts. Hank (whose own enhanced senses were giving him hell) was the only one who managed to keep up with them and subsequently get them to calm down long enough to settle the issue.

"You shoulda let me have them for a DR session tomorrow, 'Ro. Jubes and Icecube've had it a long time comin'."

"It was an accident, albeit an unfortunate one… And they did swear to make it up to Kurt. Jubilee even took him to the mall to find something nice for Amanda." Her voice was somewhere between entreating and amused. "At least give them tomorrow free. Some of the girls have been preparing for this day for weeks, now."

Logan snorted. "Don't have to tell me twice. Half-Pint's practically been living in the kitchen, though I hate to call whatever those things she makes 'chocolate'." He paused. "Maybe feeding 'em to Avalanche won't be so bad after all."

She glanced at him sharply. "I do hope you don't plan to meddle in that aspect of Kitten's life, Logan. She has hard enough of a time, trying to sort out what she feels for Lance, and now Piotr."

The look he gave Ororo was one of disbelief and what might've been worry. "What, Half-Pint and Petey? Seriously? I thought she might've had a teeny crush on the big guy, but..."

It was difficult not to laugh at how his suddenly worried frown made him look almost endearing. "It's just a crush, Logan. Although, she did end up buying him a box of chocolates imported from Russia the other day, after she bought Lance's box of See's..."

His scowl deepened. He liked Petey well enough, a lot more than he did Lance, even. But how old was the Russian, anyway? … Or the Cajun, for that matter. The feral mutant bristled. He had a thief, a punk and _potentially_ a Russian farmboy on his hitlist? Not that he would _do_ anything – except maybe terrify them a little. Or a lot. Hopefully the latter…

A slender hand made its way to rest on the crook of his elbow, Ororo's calming, lilting voice bringing him back into the conversation. "- really nothing to worry about, Logan. It's a harmless crush." She looked so sure of herself, so serious and anxious; she probably thought he _was_ gonna try something. He smirked.

"Just a crush," He repeated. "Like the one the Cheyenne kid has on you, eh?"

It was a mansion-wide secret by now, the way Kurt's normally enthusiastic friend would suddenly seem to run out of words whenever Ororo spoke to him. Just that afternoon, Logan happened to enter the Rec Room as Forge was hightailing it out. When he walked in, he'd found Ororo looking a strange mixture of bemused and flattered, a single red rose clasped loosely in her hands.

Now, he watched in fascination as her cheeks turned a dusky, cinnamon color and she rolled her eyes a little. She hid an amused smile behind her hand. "Yes. Something like that."

But before Logan had the chance to poke any more fun at her, she cleared her throat and tilted her head slightly away to deftly change the subject. "… In any case, I believe I spied Tabitha sneaking about, today. We may have to keep an eye on her, in case she tries something... disruptive, tomorrow. "

Funny how little things like that betrayed her oft-hidden pride and slight imperiousness. He smirked, but decided to let it go for the moment. "Yeah, I noticed. Don't think she did anything, but I'll keep an eye out. I betcha she'll manage to get away with somethin' anyway, as usual." He'd give Chuck a heads up in the morning; the girl was gonna burn a hole in their financial assets for repair and reconstruction. "Kid needs a boyfriend, someone to keep her outta trouble."

"Normally, Amara does a fine job of the latter all on her own." Ororo remarked. "I do believe she and Roberto have plans for tomorrow, however."

"Yeah?" He straightened in his seat, suddenly interested. Magma and Sunspot, eh? Who knew? "What, they _all_ pairin' off now?"

She chuckled, shook her head. "The ones who aren't plan to go out as a group tomorrow afternoon, after school. I offered to chaperone, but they... let me down, to put it mildly." She recalled the determined look on their faces, politely but outright refusing her offer. Even young Jaime had asked if they could go out on their own this once, which surprised her.

Logan's eyes narrowed in what she assumed to be suspicion, but she decided to beat him to the punch before he could get a word in edgewise. "I don't think they're getting into any trouble. They're just growing up, I suppose, and wanting some independence. Sam and Ray will be there, and they are certainly responsible enough..."

He looked at her oddly. "Wasn't gonna say that, darlin'. Better safe than sorry, though; I'll get X to tail 'em or somethin'."

"- Actually, Laura will be joining them."

That made him backtrack. "No shit?" They were talking about the same girl, weren't they?

"Yes. Danielle and Rahne managed to convince her to join them; apparently they do not take no for an answer." She tilted her head at him, wonderingly. "What were you going to say, just now?"

He paused, long enough for her curiosity to be genuinely piqued, and shrugged nonchalantly. "Was just wondering why you'd offer to play watchdog to the kids on Valentine's Day. Don't you have plans or some such?"

She blinked and shook her head. "And whatever gave you that idea, Logan? I haven't had reason to celebrate in the years you've known me; you know that."

"Huh. Yer right. Neither have I, now that I think about it." He sat his empty bottle down on the table before them. She did the same, and gave him a curious look.

"Logan?"

He'd turned to her now, voice casual… like he'd been asking about the weather, she mused. But those dark, knowing eyes of his were glimmering with a playful confidence...

"Think maybe we oughta change that?"

Goddess above, her heart skipped a beat. "And just what do you propose we do?"

He shrugged and leaned back into the couch. "Nothin' much. Maybe take ya out for a ride on the bike, stop someplace nice for dinner, head down to Harry's for a beer… The kids've been running around the whole day, and they'll be running around tomorrow. Figured you might want ta get away for a bit. Sound good to ya?"

It sounded lovely, actually. It was times like these that she was reminded that the big, bad Wolverine could be exceedingly thoughtful when he wished to be.

A thought occurred to her, her smile turned coy. "Why, Wolverine, are 'putting the moves on me'...?" _How scandalous_, she added in the privacy of her mind.

He matched her smile with a wicked grin of his own. "Depends. Is it workin'?"

She laughed. "Perhaps." _Like a charm_.

"So whaddya say, darlin'?"

It was the kind of question that they both knew he already knew the answer to. She smiled.

"Consider it a date."

_._

* * *

**AN _*_**_Please see the X-Men Evolution comic (issue #08) for the story behind this. I've chosen to see the comic as somewhat canon because. Come on, how is a fight between Storm and Callisto not awesome? _

_About the ship selection... Can I just say, don't think too hard about it? Especially if it's one as baseless and random as Roberto/Amara. But I couldn't resist the urge to make Warren effortlessly smooth... And I am honestly surprised no one else has played with the potentially hilarious idea of Forge and Storm in this universe. (If it has been done before, please please link me.)_


	2. April Fool's

**AN**: So, this fic was supposed to begin and end with Valentine's Day… Somehow, I started wondering about taking the basic principle of it (several mutant teenagers, one roof, and an adult population numbering less than the fingers on one human hand), and applying it to other holidays… And now _Utter Chaos_ is a series of oneshots.

* * *

Every year, without fail, April Fool's Day turned the Institute into a veritable warzone. The Professor let students get away with their jokes because he felt that the students needed as much normalcy in their life as they could... And if they found that in pranking each other, then by all means, he would allow it.

He figured that forbidding them entirely would only encourage more outrageous stints; at least if he allowed them to go wild, he could set ground rules that could be followed. Absolutely no one was to get hurt as a result of the pranks, and whatever pranks they came up with would not result in thousands of dollars' worth of property damage to the Institute. That his leniency seemed to spare him and the rest of the staff from the school-wide pranks was a perk they were all relieved to enjoy.

Alas, that no longer seemed to be the case. Charles shook his head in wry amusement at his open wardrobe. It wasn't enough that he woke to find that, in place of his regular wheelchair, he found a special, customized one fashioned after the captain's chair on the _S.S. Enterprise_. (He wasn't sure if he wanted to know how they managed this.) To add insult to injury, his collection of coats, sweater vests, tweed and other respectable attire had been replaced with black tights and smart-looking shirts of maroon and black with a familiar insignia stitched over the left breast. Taped to the door of his closet was a note written in Klingon that he knew read "April Fool's, Professor!" without having to consult the enclosed translation key.

He sighed. He only hoped that the other teachers would be as forgiving.

Now, to determine how best to go about putting on this uniform...

* * *

Three Aprils ago, Ororo and the rest of the mansion woke to several shrieks - quite a few of the girls (and some of the boys) found their shampoo spiked with varying degrees of food coloring, and poor Kurt had refused to emerge from his room for the rest of the day. Since then, Ororo made a practice of buying a new set of bath essentials on the eve of the holiday, kept it from prying hands and took to the skies for a morning shower. (If she was vain about one thing, it was her hair.) Unorthodox and quite extensive, but it wasn't as if she was new to the practice. After all, it had been a daily occurrence back in her teen years on the Serengeti, and she did still sometimes have the urge to bathe in a raincloud of her own making every once in a while.

Ororo rose from bed, slipping out of her nightgown and into a comfortable terrycloth robe. She took a small bag of the simplest bathroom essentials, and headed towards the glass doors that opened into her modest balcony. It was early - not even dawn yet - but she had to shower at this hour if she didn't want to risk being seen by impressionable young minds. As she summoned a wind and took to the sky, she didn't hear the lock on her door turn.

About an hour later found Ororo fresh from her shower and alighting onto her balcony, only to find that her doors refused to open. Suspicion began to creep up her spine, but before she could even wonder why, loud music (Was that _High School Musical..._?) began to blare out of the window one room over - Logan's room.

Half a second later, when the music abruptly died, the balcony doors were flung open, followed by several alarm clocks that had seen the business end of Wolverine's claws.

She was still blinking when he finally turned to her, all tousled hair and rumpled sleepwear, snarling somewhat.

She threw him a sympathetic smile. "Good morning to you, too, Logan."

"Nothin' good about it, 'Ro." He rumbled, scowling down at the bushes where the clocks had landed.

She leaned onto the railing that separated her balcony from his, folding her arms. "Yes, well. At least you haven't been locked out of your own room. I loathe to think of what they've done in there."

"Yeah? They got you, too?" He frowned.

"Apparently." She tried the doors again, and sighed when they refused to budge. While certainly capable of it, she really didn't relish the idea of breaking into her own room... She turned back to Logan, a question in her eyes, and he nodded before she could ask.

"Come on, then. Let's see if they haven't locked your other door." She smiled gratefully, effortlessly floating over to his balcony and followed him into his room.

"It's strange; they don't normally target specific people, much less us teachers."

"I really wouldn't put it past them to start now, darlin'. If anything, it was only a matter of time before they'd-..." His voice trailed off, and Ororo looked up from where she had stepped inside.

"Logan?"

When she got a _snikt_ in reply, she hurried over to where he was standing and glaring menacingly at his bed. "Logan, what's... ah."

Lying on the rumpled, unkept sheets was a very familiar pair of lacy black panties. She quirked an eyebrow, and sent Logan a curious look as she picked up her wayward piece of underwear.

The claws were retracted as he hastily held his hands up. "That wasn't there when I got up, 'Ro, I swear."

"I believe you, Logan." Her voice was cool and her face an expression of practiced calm, but he heard the faint rumble of thunder in the distance. "It was on my bed when I left my room earlier - what I'd like to know, however, is how it got here."

He took a careful sniff of his room and caught the faint scent of peppermint and cayenne spice. "Stripes," he growled. "I am gonna _kill_ that kid."

Ororo smiled wryly as she walked out and towards her own room. "I'm sure you will, Logan. Before that, it might be smart to find out who her co-conspirators are, yes?"

Sure enough, the door to her room was left ajar. She was absolutely certain she'd locked it before she took her bath, and there was only one other person in the mansion who could and would pick a locked door. Logan was growling again by the time they both carefully stepped inside.

She took inventory of her room - nothing seemed out of place, but she knew better. After inspecting her bed, she opened her closet doors and expected the worst.

This time, Storm didn't bother masking her annoyance. She glared at Logan's appreciative wolf whistle, and lightning flashed in the clear, lightening sky outside.

Her closet was completely bare, save for a few choice pieces of lingerie, each more risqué than the last. Tacked to one of the doors was a red rose, and a note that reeked of familiar cologne.

'For you, Stormy~'

* * *

Hank sighed. It was long, drawn-out and tired, but a smile stubbornly played at his lips anyway.

He was trying to be angry at the fact that the morning coffee was frozen within the confines of the carafe. And that the sugar was salty, that the toilet overflowed with frothy pink bubbles when he'd flushed it this morning, that his computers' language settings had been set to a language he didn't understand a word of (Korean), and that his beloved Twinkies had been phased out of their wrappers and replaced with rolled up pieces of foam. He was justifiably irked that they'd somehow put bright pink highlights into his fur… but truthfully, he was far more curious as to how they snuck into his room last night to manage it. He suspected Jean's telepathy may have been in play, but surely she was surely above such trickery... wasn't she?

But, he liked to think he got off easy.

He grinned openly at Charles as he wheeled past in his Picard costume. There was a lingering scent of sulfur and brimstone on the upholstery of the cleverly customized chair, and he thought Kurt lucky that Charles was humoring him.

Gambit would probably suffer a far worse fate, he mused as Ororo bustled around the kitchen in, if there was any truth to what Logan had muttered to him earlier, nothing but a short terrycloth robe. She spared the coffee maker a thoughtful frown before she took down some packets of instant coffee from the cupboards, her motions swift and no-nonsense.

"I wonder, Charles, how they would feel," she was murmuring in low tones that Hank and Logan had no trouble hearing from across the kitchen, "If they learned that I spent quite a few years in a society without your culture's silly taboos on nudity..."

Hank chuckled and Logan let out a sudden bark of laughter. "If you'll be streaking through the mansion, 'Ro, you better let me know 'cause I've got dibs on front-row seats."

"There will be no streaking in this house, Logan." Charles said, voice sharp but eyes dancing with amusement.

"Cryin' shame, that." He stalked over to fridge and took a bottle of beer. "Dunno about you, Chuck, but if those kids think fer one minute they're gettin' away with all this..." He paused for dramatic effect to take a swig of his drink -

- only to spit it all out in a fine spray of... pink?

"What the _flying_ fu-"

"_Lo_gan!"

Hank, who had finally put down the morning paper, leaned over to examine the mystery drink once the initial shock had worn off. "It appears that our young friends have replaced Logan's alcohol with," A careful sniff, and a laughing smile. "Kool-Aid."

Oh yes, Hank thought with a grin as Wolverine let out a string of colorful curses that had Storm swatting him with the kitchen towel she was using to clean up his mess. April Fool's wasn't so bad if it meant watching this unfold.

* * *

**AN2**: Gambit is the only one brave enough to prank Storm, much less handle her underwear like that. I imagine he'd think he'd get away with it with his charming personality and way with the ladies… Of course, Storm is no ordinary lady.

Logan doesn't know it, but Laura helped plant the alarm clocks and Ro's unmentionables in his room. She's the only one stealthy enough for it. Rogue probably bribed her with something. Or convinced her that it was tradition of some sort.

Kurt persuaded Forge in the customization of the Prof's chair.

The kids went 'easy' on Hank because he's awesome. And probably doesn't have reactions as funny as Wolverine's.

And lastly, Kitty phased the bottlecaps out of Wolverine's stash of beer so they could replace it with Kool-Aid. This idea was pretty much the entire reason this chapter exists.

Stay tuned for more holiday madness. :)


	3. Easter Sunday

**AN:** I'm sure none of you are surprised that this chapter is, as with the previous ones, a few days late (Easter Sunday was… fivedays ago.) Evidently, I'm not exactly the best at making the deadlines I set for myself. That, and Holy Week is always a busy time for me! Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy this.

* * *

Entering the kitchen was like stepping into another dimension, one full of pastel colors and the sickeningly sweet smell of sugared candies. Logan wrinkled his nose, and sneezed.

"Bless you, Logan."

He looked up. The sensory overload he got from entering was so great, he barely even scented her. "Uh. Thanks, 'Roro."

She smiled in response, but had yet to spare him a glance. Her blue eyes were focused on the delicate, white spiraling motif that she was painting onto a pale blue hardboiled egg. "I'm surprised you changed your mind," she was saying. Her brush moved in smooth, even strokes.

He rolled his eyes; she didn't sound the least bit surprised. "You think I'm here to help you paint those sissy eggs, darlin'?"

The egg was carefully set aside into an egg carton to dry, alongside half a dozen others already painted and neatly lined up like soldiers. "I was hoping so, yes. A little fun never hurt anyone, and Charles seems to like the idea of an Easter egg hunt."

"Pretty lame if you ask me. 'Sides, he just says that 'cause he won't even be here for it." Every year, the Professor would be take a few of the students to a church in the city on Easter Sunday, leaving the rest of the adults in charge of the kids who wouldn't be joining him… the same kids who would be raising hell in and around the mansion if and when they decided to have fun hunting a few dyed eggs down.

At that moment, Hank strode in. He paused at the door of the kitchen just as Logan had done earlier, and let out a similarly loud sneeze.

"My stars, Ororo! Did you, perchance, buy out the entire sweet shop?"

Ororo looked up at him, smiling apologetically. "Charles and I were discussing how we don't treat the children like children very often at all, and I thought this was a good chance for it."

"So you went and got enough candy to feed a small army." Logan said from where he was leaning on the counter (he'd picked up one of Ororo's 'practice eggs', and was examining it with feigned nonchalance). "You just want a chance to spoil the damn kids, 'Ro."

"Well, my friend, there's certainly no harm in it. And if it gives the non-practicing of the students a chance to get in the spirit of the season, then I myself have no complaints!" Hank grinned, selecting a chocolate bunny from Ororo's recent candy run. "And these do bring back fond memories."

Ororo smiled pleasantly. "Keep those hands away, Henry McCoy. The sweets are for the children."

Logan guffawed as Hank mocked an expression of utmost hurt and put one furry paw upon his heart. "He is right, you know. You _are_ spoiling them."

She arched an eyebrow. "Is that right? I don't suppose you're taking his side, now?"

Hank put his hands up hastily and innocently. "No, no. Of course not. But you must remember, my dear, that these are no ordinary children we're dealing with."

"Got that right." Logan folded his arms over his chest. "These're kids dealin' with mutant terrorists and giant robot Sentinels every other week, darlin'. An' you want them to go on an egg hunt?"

Ororo, however, was having none of it and resolutely keeping that infamous eyebrow arch trained on the two men. "I'm well aware. I was thinking of arranging something... special, for the children." The paintbrush she'd been holding was delicately set down onto the table with a faint _click_.

Hank shot Logan a surprised sidelong glance, but found that the feral mutant was already smirking. "Yeah? And just how special are we talkin', here?"

"Well," The weather witch continued, calmly putting away her things as if she were speaking about the weather. "I was thinking of something along the lines of an all powers allowed Easter egg hunt, with a twist or two..."

* * *

It was a bright and sunny Easter Sunday that found Kitty returning to Bayville. She'd spent the last week and a half with her family for Passover like she did every year, and that was always something to look forward to. But she learned early on that every time she had to go, it got a little harder to leave what had become a second home.

She waved goodbye to the dark SUV that was pulling out of the mansion gates just as her cab was pulling in. She was kinda disappointed she didn't get to talk to Kurt or Jean and the others before they left with the Professor to hear mass at a church downtown, but she hadn't expected her flight to be so totally delayed by some low pressure areas around Chicago. She glanced up at the clear, cloudless sky over the Institute and grinned. Well, at least Ororo seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

The mansion was curiously empty when she stepped inside. She frowned.

"What, no welcoming committee?" She asked aloud, crossing her arms and pouting.

She was sulking up the stairs when she ran into a speedwalking Rogue at the entrance to the girls' wing.

"Kitty!" she exclaimed as the two roommates helped each other up. "Ah was wonderin' when ya'd get back!"

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" She grinned. "Where're you off to, huh? In a hurry to, like, meet someone~?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Yeah, just Logan. It's Sunday, but suddenly he says somethin' about wanting everyone outside in – " she checked her wristwatch, "five minutes. So ya better suit up, Kit. Ya know how he feels 'bout latecomers."

"But I just got here!" she protested as Rogue headed off to the stairs.

"So?"

Kitty sighed.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Kitty jogged down across the mansion grounds to where the rest of her fellow students were just standing around. Remy was talking to (rather, talking _at_) Rogue, Bobby seemed to be telling Ray a joke that looked to be a dirty one, given the mildly disgusted look Laura was throwing them, and how Amara had immediately clapped her hands over Jamie's ears ("But I wanna hear how it ends!"). Jubilee and Danielle were whispering and giggling at something, but paused to wave Kitty over excitedly. She would have waved back, but the way Piotr was subtly smiling at something Tabby told him turned her stomach. All in all, it was a familiar sight, if not for the fact that Wolverine was distinctly absent.

"Hey!" She called out. "I thought Mr. Logan was doing some exercise or whatever."

"Or whatever's right, Half-Pint. Glad ya could join us." Kitty jumped about a foot as a gruff, annoyed voice crackled out of speakers she could not see (she'd later find out he was using some newly-installed speakers around the garden.)

Bobby and Ray snickered, and she scowled. "That's fifteen minutes off yer time, folks. Try'n remember that the next time one'a ya decide t'be late."

One voice rose amidst the resulting chorus of groans.

"Wolverine, do not be ridiculous."

They all quieted down as they heard Storm loud and clear over the speakers. "Because of the circumstance, Shadowcat, we will overlook your late arrival. But please keep in mind that tardiness will be not tolerated next time. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Ms. Munr-… Yes, Storm."

"And Kitty?"

"Yes, Storm?"

"Welcome home."

She beamed.

"Now that we are all here, we may begin. And no, Wolverine, there will be no deductions to their time." She added to the grumbling Logan that they could all still hear.

The children all exchanged grins. Remy, who had somehow crept over to Rogue's side to sling a careless arm around her shoulders, made a whip-cracking motion with his free hand.

"Nor will there be any more smart comments from you, Gambit. We do have cameras, as I am sure you already know."

He managed a lazy salute (Rogue had immediately and violently shrugged off his arm). "Not a word, Stormy. Thief's honor."

"All right, all right, let's get down to business here." Logan's voice came back on, and this time the kids stood a little straighter.

Hank's voice came on next, professional and just a touch upbeat. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is quite simple," he paused, presumably for dramatic effect.

"Find all the eggs."

Tabby was the first to recover. "What the heck?"

"I'm sure you are all, to an extent, familiar with the practice of hunting eggs on this particular Sunday yes?" he continued, sounding a little too cheerful for their tastes.

"Well, yes, but… we thought this was a field exercise, Mr. McCoy." Dani piped up curiously, and a little hopefully. Of the gathered students, she was the one least comfortable with being on the field. Given that her powers weren't exactly the most offensive in nature, it was understandable.

"And it is, Danielle. But who says it can't be a little fun?" They all heard the smile in Ororo's words, but they weren't sure how to feel about that. Before any of them could say any more, Wolverine was speaking again.

"Basically you guys team up and find the eggs. There's somewhere around fifty o'them hidden all around the grounds, and the objective is to find 'em all. Points for every egg found, minus points for every one broken."

At this point, Ray and Bobby could barely contain their laughter. "An Easter Egg Hunt? Seriously?"

"Oh, we're quite serious Mr. Drake, Mr. Crisp." Hank said pleasantly. "We should mention that ten of those eggs are ticking time bombs, courtesy of yours truly."

The garden went dead silent.

"If you succeed," Storm went on, speaking calmly. "you get a free pass the next time Wolverine schedules an early morning Danger Room session."

"And when you guys don't, it's a week of five AM sessions with yours truly. How about that, eh?"

That woke them up. There was a general uproar of protest ("Actual _bombs?_ Are they _insane?" _"Don't be a wuss! We've faced worse in the Danger Room!" "Or, you know, on the field." "But _bombs_?" "Exploding Easter eggs, guys! How cool is that?" "_Shut up, Bobby._"), until Hank cleared his throat.

"You may use your powers to the best of your abilities to locate and diffuse them. However, all bets are off once you cause any property damage to the Institute, so I suggest you use them wisely."

"You have sixty minutes."

They didn't need to see them to know that the adults were all smiling.

* * *

**Inside the Security Room**:

Logan was barking some last minute reminders into the mic.

"And Laura! This's a team exercise, so don't even think about goin' lone wolf on this."

Ororo hid a smile. _Hypocrite_, she thought, rearranging a few marshmallow peeps to her liking. She was standing by a long folding table that she'd set up within the room, laden with a little more than a dozen baskets filled with the candy she'd prepared for them. She loved those kids dearly, and even if she thought up the plan herself (the bombs were Logan's idea), she felt a little guilty for leading them on like that.

"I wonder if they will realize that your little bombs are nothing but exploding flashes of light, Henry?"

"You wound me, Ororo! They wouldn't know for sure until the last minute."

"Still think we shoulda used real ones." He was still looking at the screens intently, watching as Rogue and surprisingly Bobby throwing out directions and gathering the team into some semblance of organization. Hopefully 'Ro wouldn't notice his hand creeping towards one of those peeps...

Ororo swatted his hand away. "Wolverine!"

Hank leaned back into his swivel chair, sipping his cup of Irish coffee in contentment. He would have go down the hall to prep the infirmary soon, for he knew that injuries of _some_ sort would be inevitable. But for now, he would kick back and enjoy the show.

* * *

**AN**: This took so long because I had to work out little details barely get mentioned in this chapter. Like how the mechanics for the egg hunt of doom actually worked out (that took forever, surprisingly). Then I went and made a list of which kids would likely join the Professor in attending Easter mass (Kurt of course, and I figure Roberto, Sam, Rahne and maybe Jean – who would somehow get Scott to come with her, maybe she sensed that something was afoot with the adults?) Not that it was particularly important since I barely mentioned it, but I thought it nice to put it out there.

As always, thanks for reading (I can't believe I have readers, what the heck?) and thanks especially to those leaving reviews (even _more_ what the heck?)! I know this isn't a typical Evo fic, so it makes me really glad to know there are people reading and liking what they see. Hopefully I can stay somewhat prompt with updates; the next one is in the works already. Anyone care to guess which 'holiday' is going to be featured next?

Stay tuned. :)


	4. Mother's Day

**A/N**: This is far, far shippier (and longer) than I ever intended it to be, but hopeless romantic that I am, I can't find it in me to be sorry. Still, more than anything, it's unabashedly Storm-centric, because someone has to give Ororo some love in this fandom. Since Logan's too much of a chicken to do it himself, I've gallantly taken up that responsibility. Or something.

Apologies for this being so late. I caught a really nasty bug that's been going around, and was lethargic plus writers' blocked for a couple of weeks. On the way to getting better now, though!

Without further ado, belated (like close to a month belated) Happy Mother's Day!

* * *

With so many mutants under one roof, you were bound to overhear the strangest things in the hallways. For Hank and Logan, blessed with enhanced senses, it meant occasionally eavesdropping on strange conversations without ever meaning to. At some point, they'd both learned to tune certain things out, achieve some sort of selective hearing to preserve some measure of respect for privacy (or in Logan's case, sanity.) Sometimes, though, some things you can't help but overhear.

"Well, I can't do it." Jean's voice was explaining patiently. "Scott and I are stopping by the grocery for stuff we'll need for tonight."

"Might take us a while, too, if the menu you've got so far's any indication... Can't you go on one of your shopping sprees with her, Kitty?"

"I would, but I don't trust any of you to get the decorating right, you know? No offense, Rogue."

"None taken." Rogue had replied dryly. Logan could practically see the roll of her eyes.

"Well, perhaps we can get Herr Logan to do it for us?"

Hank turned to his friend in surprise and curiosity, wondering how and why his name suddenly came up in their conspiring, only to find that he was already halfway to the Rec Room. Hank sighed, shaking his head as he followed.

"Speak of the devil!" Kurt exclaimed from his perch on the hanging ceiling light. Logan felt his hackles rise at the excitement in his tone, glaring at the occupants of the room with a suspicious narrow of his eyes.

"What the hell're you kids up to?"

The kids blinked as one, but Jean spoke up, apparently totally unfazed by the gruffness of his tone.

"Logan, we need you to take Ororo out today."

He chose to ignore the surprised, hearty chuckle that came from Hank. "What."

"We're planning a surprise dinner for her tonight," Kitty said by way of explanation, "So we need her out of the house, but without suspecting anything."

The confusion must've shown on his face, despite best efforts to conceal it, for Hank cleared his throat next to him. "I believe what Ms. Pryde means, Logan, is that they've arranged to throw dear Ororo a little party in honor of the holiday." He smiled. "It is Mother's Day today, correct?"

"Right!" Kitty nodded eagerly.

"It was Scott's idea, sort of." Jean said, smiling fondly at Scott, the tenderness in her eyes making him flush. Kurt and Rogue mimed gagging behind them. "He overheard me greeting my own mom over the phone, earlier, and he mentioned something about Storm acting as den mother to us all without any of us really realizing..."

"And then I kinda overheard them, and was like: oh my gosh, that's totally true! So -"

"So you took the idea and ran with it." Logan interjected, before Kitty could continue. They'd never hear the end of it, if she had.

But she just grinned unabashedly, clearly too excited by the prospect of throwing a party for Storm.

"Well, I for one think it's a splendid idea." Hank said, clapping his hands together with a bright smile. "Heaven knows we owe it to Ororo, after all she's done for us."

Logan shrugged. He wasn't sure if 'Ro would be big on all this pomp and circumstance over some Hallmark holiday. He could already picture her brows drawing up the slightest bit, probably overwhelmed at all the sudden attention, but never letting such an obvious display of emotion come to surface. She'd appreciate all the effort that they'd go to, though. If anything, Ororo was always giving and unfailingly patient.

Still...

"All right, so throw her a party." He said, and that was about as close as they were going to get to an approval from him. "I don't get why you need me to take her out, though."

To his surprise, Kitty raised an eyebrow at him, in perfect imitation of what he'd deemed as Storm's Look.

"Duh? Because you're practically her boyfriend, and that's what boyfriends do?"

Logan promptly began to choke on air.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "S'not like it's a secret, geez. Everyone knows."

This time, Hank laughed long and hard.

* * *

Logan stalked through the corridor, growling to himself. He still wasn't quite sure how he was roped into this. Might've had something to do with the fact that he didn't feel all that comfortable hearing a bunch of kids gossip about his relationship with the resident weather goddess. Not when he himself had no idea what he had with her, anyway. True, they'd long been the victims of whispered and suggestive teasing - the rumours had been flying around them since day one (courtesy of the Professor, of all people). Been ignorin' them since day one. Well, he did most of the ignoring; Storm took it all with a faintly amused or embarrassed smile.

Of course, it only got worse after he'd taken her out for Valentine's. He sighed, ran a rough palm over one side of his face. Take a woman out on one date, and suddenly the whole mansion's stalking your every move. He hadn't even taken her out since and they both hadn't really spoken about it, so it wasn't much of a stretch to figure that she was as in the dark about their relationship as he was.

Still, if there was one thing he was sure of, it's that the pull of attraction was mutual. And on a really good day, if he was completely and totally honest with himself (i.e. not very often), he'd admit that maybe, there was something more'n attraction there, too.

He was hesitant to put a label on whatever it was they were, though. There was a connection there, sure. Wasn't so stupid that he'd miss something like that. But - boyfriend, girlfriend, or whatever... He scowled. They weren't teenagers for Chrissake. And frankly, 'girlfriend' seemed too superficial a term for someone like Ororo.

Besides, a relationship meant commitment. And as always, Logan's thoughts screeched to a full-stop at those words.

He was surprised to find the door to her room ajar when he came to it, robbing him of the chance to collect himself before he could speak up. Ororo had a perfect view of the doorway from where she stood in front of her vanity.

"Logan, good morning." She greeted warmly, meeting his reflection's gaze with a smile. Her platinum locks were swept over one shoulder as she put on a pair of black hoop earrings. And the rest of her outfit... Logan fought the urge to whistle low and long. She had on a royal purple dress, snug in all the right places. It had a modest neckline, as was characteristic of her, but it exposed her shoulders - which made him want to shrug off his leather bomber and cover her with it. What would've been a decent hem on an average woman threatened to be almost too short on 'Ro, who stood close to six feet. Speaking of feet, she decided on a pair of sleek stilettos that seemed to make her already long legs even longer.

It occurred to him that she looked like she was dressed for a date.

Maybe Jeanie told her ahead of time? He'd have to chew her out for that later, even if it spared him the trouble. Damn kids and their matchmaking, was the last thought he kept to himself even as he grinned.

"Goin' on a date, darlin'?" he drawled, leaning on the doorjamb.

"Something like that, yes." She smiled as shook her hair out so that hung in thick, lush waves down her back. "I'm meeting my sister for lunch, today."

He blinked and managed to catch his balance on the other side of the doorway. "What, really?"

She turned to him then, last touches of make-up carefully and skillfully applied. "Yes, really. It's Mother's Day, today. It's not exactly a most enjoyable holiday for her, since..."

Since Evan, his mind supplied.

"Huh."

She cleared her throat before continuing. "... And so I've taken to spending the day with her, these past few years. Brunch, some shopping, perhaps some coffee afterwards…"

"Huh." He repeated. And nodded, belatedly, to show that he was paying attention, contrary to his surprisingly intelligent comebacks.

"Yes." She'd picked up a clutch that rested on the edge of her dresser. "But enough about that; was there something you needed, Logan?"

* * *

The girls could not be bothered to hide their disappointment when Logan informed them that they didn't need him to keep Storm from the house after all. Kitty and Jubilee had made loud protests, and Rogue just threw her hands up in the air in disbelief. When Jean came back from her grocery run with Scott and heard the news, she had the audacity to hunt him down out on the back porch just to give him a severe 'this is all your fault and you have to fix it' look, before retreating back into the kitchen.

He had half a mind to hop on his bike and just disappear for a week, if he hadn't been accosted by Hank on his way to the garage.

"We are on cake duty." He said simply, cheerily, taking Logan's arm in one mighty, furry paw and dragging him into a corner of the kitchen that wasn't occupied by crazy teenager and/or young adult.

And that was how he found himself with a bowl of cake batter alongside Hank, who was chopping up some pistachios. He was considering how best to go about telling Logan that it probably wasn't a good idea to beat the cake so violently.

"Don't see what all the fuss's about." he was grumbling, glaring into his bowl. "It's just a damn holiday."

"Oh do hush your griping, my friend." Logan bristled at the overly genial tone that Hank took. "We both know that if you truly did not want to be here, you would be halfway across the state on that infernal bike of yours by now."

"And there's certainly no harm in indulging them, now, is there?" Hank finished with his pistachios, patiently waited for an opening when he could add them into Logan's bowl. "It's high time, I would think, given the role she's elected to play for these children."

Because that's what they were, children. For all their heroics and grandstanding and saving the world from terrorists and bigoted politicians, at the core, there were all so painfully young. Without being asked to, Storm had assumed the role of something of a den mother from the very beginning. True, most of the kids still had mothers, but the presence of an older woman was all manner of comforting for them all.

For the girls, she was the valuable older female figure that they needed to look to. She was Jean's confidante the moment she stepped into the mansion. She helped Kitty battle homesickness and shared the much younger girl's love for Jimmy Choos. Logan would be forever grateful he could turn Laura to her direction when she came to him with all sorts of womanly questions. And though Rogue would never, ever admit to it, Storm was something of a role model. Every girl in the mansion wishes they had at least some measure of Ororo's grace and beauty, but Rogue wished she might one day have the kind of control Ororo has over her own powers.

Even the boys respected her; Hank was easily popular among the kids and Logan was infamously hard on them all the time, but Storm commanded respect in a way only a mother (or a queen, or a goddess) could. Everyone was terrified of Logan's rage, but God have mercy on your soul if you ever get on the receiving end of Storm's disappointed gazes. A single, arched perfect eyebrow was enough to cow even Remy into a slew of guilty confessions.

Wolverine paused in stirring as Scott peeked into the kitchen to ask Jean for confirmation on something concerning the folding tables they were setting up outside. A memory came, unbidden, of a much younger Cyclops, the first of Charles Xavier's students, during his early days at the Institute. The Professor had become his mentor and legal guardian and respected father figure, sure, but in those first weeks, it had been Ororo who helped chase away nightmares with her ever-helpful cups of tea. The two had more in common than they ever let on; both orphaned at young ages, both initially uncomfortable at the unfamiliar safety that the opulent mansion's roof provided over their heads, a strong initiative to lead...

Hank (who had since taken the opportunity to add in his ingredients into the batter) followed his gaze to the young, straight-laced, fearless leader of the X-Men. He smiled as Scott snatched a pepper shaker from Gambit's hands before he could add it to whatever it was he had on the stove. He tossed a little bottle of cumin to him instead, telling him exactly how much of the spice Ororo liked in her food before heading back outside.

"I'd trust him if I were you," Beast called out to the young former thief. "He's been Ororo's loyal _sous_ _chef_ since before any of you young ones even stepped foot into this mansion."

* * *

Much later that day, after the sun had set and a lively dinner was over and done with, the students set up an impromptu dance floor by the poolside. Charles stopped his wheelchair just shy of the porch's edge, watching the scene with contentment. Ororo had been pleasantly surprised, and took to the festivities with an open happiness not often seen on her.

Currently, the eldest of his X-Women was being passed from man to man on the impromptu dance floor. Scott started it, talking her into an easy swing-step that surprised everyone except Ororo herself. Soon, Hank cut in to sweep her away into a graceful waltz that, at some prodding from Kitty, Piotr went to ask if he might cut in. Ororo was only happy to provide her Little Brother with a dance, until Kurt appeared to twirl her around the floor amidst her startled laughter.

It warmed his heart, seeing his X-Men this way. They didn't lead normal or safe lives at all, but to see them come together as a family like this never failed to make him happy.

Logan came to stand by him just as Remy was approaching the weather witch from the DJ booth that Ray and Roberto were manning. The music switched to an upbeat salsa, and Ororo rolled her eyes a little.

"Quite an interesting evening it's turned out to be hasn't it, old friend?" He said, steepling his fingers and leaning his elbows onto the arms of his chair. He didn't have to look up to know that Logan was now frowning at how Gambit seemed to be successfully coercing his _padnat_ to salsa with him.

"Could call it that, yeah." He took a swig of his drink (beer filched from his private stash, since all the kids had served for the party was soda for themselves and prissy white wine for the adults; they knew Storm wouldn't approve of anything more).

Out of habit, his gaze did a cursory sweep of the area. The dance floor was quickly getting livelier, what with Tabby slyly tugging on an unassuming Piotr to teach him how to salsa. This prompted Kitty to grab the nearest boy (a clueless Bobby) so she could do the same, never mind that she was too busy glancing at Piotr and subtly frowning at Tabby to notice Bobby's growing horror. Jubilee waved merrily at him from the edge of the dance floor.

"You could simply ask for a dance, you know." Charles said, chuckling a little at the resulting scowl.

"Not exactly the dancin' type, Chuck." And anyway, more and more of the kids were heading into the floor by now. Logan could see that it wouldn't be long before it would start getting crowded… He stood a little straighter, watching Storm carefully.

"She'll be fine." assured Charles. Ororo had indeed tensed for a few moments, when the students started filling the space around and about her, but relaxed not seconds later. It was a different feeling, to be surrounded on all sides by people she loved.

Charles smiled.

* * *

They found themselves heading up to the teachers' wing at the same time.

"So," she said, smiling as they took the carpeted stairs up, "I'm told that you helped with the cake."

He slanted a smirk in her direction. "Only 'cause I wanted ta lick the bowl after the fact." He grinned at the face she struggled not to pull. "Nah, I'm just kiddin' ya. Hank blackmailed me."

"He did not!"

"Did so." He groused, rolling his eyes. "That so hard to believe?"

"Henry would never stoop to that level." At the glare she got, she amended: "Well, not often, I suppose. But the cake was delicious, Logan, and I was made aware that I had you to thank for that, as well."

"Yeah, well… yeah." He shrugged. "But the kids did most of it. If you should be thanking anyone…"

She smiled fondly. "I was surprised. I didn't think to ever expect something like this from them."

"Way you've been mothering them, I'd think it were way overdue."

"Funny," she murmured. "Vi said something similar to me, earlier."

He arched an eyebrow her way when she started shaking her head, smiling to herself.

"It's nothing, really. She made mention of how it must be like practice for the real thing, looking after everyone here at home."

For a split second, Logan imagined her with a tiny version of herself, maybe a daughter with her mother's hair, skin the color of coffee and eyes the color of the sky. Way he figured, it'd be a crime against nature if Storm never got the chance to be a real mother.

"... Logan?"

He blinked, realized too late that they'd made it to her door. She was looking at him curiously, a small smile playing at her lips. He hated when she did that, like she won a private bet with herself when he did something predictable (which he _wasn't_, damn it.)

"Thank you," she was saying, still smiling. "For staying to help, I mean. I know you didn't have to."

And before he could say anything else, she'd disappeared into her room, leaving him alone in the hallway.

_... You know, that would've been the perfect time to kiss her good night-_

He groaned, giving Jean a savage mental push out of his mind.

He went to bed, knowing his dreams would be peppered with images of kids that had Ororo's hair and eyes.

* * *

**A/N**: This chapter is late, but only because there were so many ideas I wanted to work into it. I got so many of them, I kind of want to start a new series of oneshots, detailing all of Storm's relationships. (I think would pay quite a lot to see Evo!Gambit call her "Stormy")

... This was also an excuse for blatant Storm loving. (… as you can tell, I'm a big fan of Storm.) Especially that dance scene. Storm is so shippable (romantic and platonic!) in the comics, it's really not my fault. RoLo is, of course, my OTP forever and ever, but I love the relationship between Remy and Ororo too. That she calls Piotr "little brother" in comic canon has always made me grin stupidly. And Kurt! One of my favorite scenes early on in Claremont's second run on Uncanny X-Men is of Kurt and Ororo literally waltzing atop the clouds.


	5. Father's Day

_Better embarrassingly late than never, am I right? This chapter is brought to you by the ever helpful Ironraven and his beta-reading expertise. I highly recommend checking out his work; they have a heck of a lot more substance than mine and are exceptionally well-thought out!_

* * *

"So tell me again why we're even botherin' to throw a telepath a surprise party?"

Rogue had one hand on her hip, weight shifted to rest on one leg. Her other hand held onto one end of a long streamer.

Jean barely concealed a sigh and was about to answer when, to her surprise, Scott beat her to it.

"Haven't we been over this, Rogue?"

"Only like a zillion times," one Jaime piped up from the other end of Rogue's streamer.

"Maybe she's, y'know, _slow_…" another stage-whispered to a third from across the patio that led to the poolside. They both snickered.

"Or _maybe_ you're a brat," Rogue said, shooting them both a glare that shut them up at once.

"I'm just sayin'," she continued, when it became apparent that Jaime (all three of him) had learned his lesson, "What's the use of throwin' the Professor a party when he obviously already knows we're goin' to?"

"Give the Professor some credit, Rogue," Jean said as she helped Scott spread a burgundy table runner across a folding table. "He's the greatest telepath the world has ever seen; part of that is knowing how to block out thoughts. It's not like he's reading minds twenty-four seven."

"Besides," Scott added, "We kill two birds with one stone this way. We let the Professor know how much he's done for us and at the same time, we've got ourselves a great opportunity to practice-"

"-to practice keeping our mental shields up," Rogue finished for him, rolling her eyes at the nearest Jaime, who had mouthed the words along with them. "We _know_, Scott."

Hank chuckled from where he was listening on a second floor window, a brisk breeze carrying the conversation up to his sensitive hearing. Trust Scott to turn something like a party into an impromptu training session.

He saw Jean glance up briefly, and ducked back into his room; he wasn't technically supposed to be here. As far as the kids knew, he was cooped up in his lab, working on some research or the other. Sam and Amara were supposed to be discreetly keeping watch and making sure he stayed sub-level, but his stash of Twinkies ran out. What's a big, furry Beast to do without brain food?

Sneaking past the two was a little too easy; they were in that stage of relationship where they were still easily distracted by the other's mere presence. He could have just as easily informed them where he was going, but that would mean letting them know he knew about the surprise the students were planning.

And of course he knew, how could anyone miss it? It was one thing surprising Ororo. This time, they were trying to keep three people in the dark - two of which had enhanced senses and the third, the most gifted telepath known to man.

With all the effort they were going through for them, Hank just didn't have the heart to tell them that they all already knew what was going on.

_Oh, don't say that_, came Jean's sudden, mental sigh._ I mean, I half-expected it myself. But after Storm's party last month, Scott was really hoping to surprise you all, and especially the Professor_.

Hank smiled apologetically, knowing that Jean could feel his sympathy even if she couldn't see him.

_Worry not, Ms. Grey_, he thought back to her as he retrieved a box of back-up Twinkies from his bedside table, _Charles has already given Logan and myself explicit instructions to act out our most convincing surprise._

* * *

"... Bobby, if you would?"

Ororo took a half-step back, giving the younger mutant room to stretch out a hand over an empty punch bowl. Ice in perfectly shaped cubes clinked into the glass, stopping when the bowl was about a third of the way full.

"That enough, Ms. Munroe?"

"It's perfect; thank you, child." She smiled at him briefly, before she stretched out a hand of her own. Her eyes glazed over white as the air around the bowl dropped several degrees. In moments, the bowl was covered in a layer of frost.

Bobby fist-pumped the air when she finished. "Yeah! Go Team Chill!"

She let out a surprised chuckle. "Team Chill?"

"Only the coolest people get to be on it," he said, grinning like the teenage boy that he was. "Get it? Since, you know, we're both so –"

A loud groan cut through the air before the terrible joke could finish. "Will you stop flirting with Ms. Munroe and get your ass over here, Drake?" Ray's voice came from the island counter. He rolled his eyes and pointed at Bobby with the knife he'd been using. "Make yourself useful for once, you know?"

Bobby flushed a pale pink. "Wha – I don't – I wasn't – I'll show you _useful_…!"

Ororo shook her head at their antics, amused when the two began no-powers-allowed wrestling across the kitchen and eventually out the door. She picked up the knife that Ray thankfully had the presence of mind to carefully set aside before Bobby lunged for him, and walked over to the counter where Laura was studiously ignoring their noise.

"And how are we doing over here?" she asked gently. Laura and Ray had been given the same task, slicing several oranges and limes into neat discs. Where Laura's orange slices were thin and evenly cut with alarming precision, Ray's lime wedges were in haphazard sizes. It wasn't for lack of trying, though, as Storm could see he'd tried his best to keep them uniform – no easy feat, when you're working alongside X-23.

Laura used her own knife to slide a pile of orange slices into a neat stack and set to work on cutting up some of the stockier lime wedges into somewhat slimmer slices, her motions swift and no-nonsense.

"Ray was distracted. His wedges are disappointing."

Ororo hid a smile. Laura was as blunt as her gene-father. "He and Bobby were eager to help in here, but perhaps I should have asked him to help Scott and the others set up the tables outside."

Laura shrugged and merely set back to work. Knife already in hand, Ororo decided to join her. The two were working in comfortable silence, the sound of knives hitting chopping board approaching a soothing rhythm when Laura paused.

"This party," she began, knife poised over an orange. "It's like the one arranged for you about a month ago."

It was a statement, but Ororo heard the tentative question mark behind it. She nodded, smiling. "A little, yes. The difference being, of course, that this is in celebration of Father's Day."

"Father's Day," she repeated. "Kitty explained it, and Mother's Day to me before." She didn't trail off, but Ororo could see her sharpening focus on the fruit before her, as if it contained the answers to all her questions.

"I'm sure she did. But Laura, you know that you are more than welcome to approach me if you have anything more to ask."

Laura half-turned to her then, head tilted in question. "Kitty said they were days for us to show mothers and fathers how valued and important they are." She spoke slowly, peering at Ororo closely as if determining if what she was saying was correct. Ororo nodded for her to continue.

Laura turned back to her orange, frowning a little. "If it is so important, why is it only done once a year? Shouldn't it be more often than that?"

"Oh, Laura," Ororo set the knife down and faced the the younger girl. "In an ideal world, yes. We should be taking every moment of every day to tell our parents how much they mean to us. But the reality is that we are so caught up with our own lives, we forget to do precisely that. Not because we choose to, mind, and not out of malice, either."

"But perhaps that is the reason that these particular days exist. We do not wish to take our mothers and fathers for granted; far from it. And if the solution is to take a day and dedicate it to celebrating the _gift _of having someone to take care of and look out for you, then so be it," Ororo's voice turned wistful. "These days bring us cause to come together as a family and family... Family is important, after all."

Somewhere along Ororo's spiel, Laura had turned to give the older woman her full attention. She remained poker-faced throughout it all, but at the last portion, she looked away.

(_I'm a victim, just like you. I may be the closest thing you've got to a family._)

Ororo could see the gears turning in her mind and felt her heart warm. When it became apparent that she had nothing more to say, she turned back to the forgotten citrus fruits on the counter.

Still, she couldn't help but feel like giving Laura a hint or two. "You know, I've heard tell that Logan appreciates a good steak and potatoes dinner with his beer... Perhaps, if you wanted help..."

Laura glanced up to give her a curious (suspicious?) stare. "You _would_ know, wouldn't you? What with yours and his relationship. Whatever _that_ is."

Laura's casual, no-nonsense words brought a dull, surprised flush to Storm's cheeks. The insinuation was nothing new; Ororo was accustomed to light teasing from the rest of the students on a week-to-week basis by now, after all. She was even aware of the mansion-wide betting pool started a month ago for when she and the Wolverine would "get their damn act together already." (_"Like, you're totally the new Scott and Jean, Ororo!_")

But hearing it from Laura – Logan's own gene daughter – seemed to put things in a new perspective.

She blinked once, twice to regain her composure.

"I – well, that is, Logan and I…"

"- And 'ere's half a dozen bottles of Merlot as ordered, _chère_," came Gambit's voice from just outside the kitchen. The Cajun had taken that moment to saunter in, arms full of red wine, with Tabitha and Piotr not far behind. The latter was holding onto bottles of club soda and obligingly listening to Tabby chatter away about how _her_ grandmother's sangria mix always had a generous helping of tequila for an extra kick.

But Laura was still looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Ororo managed a wry smile. "... It's complicated, my dear."

Laura shrugged. "Doesn't have to be," And with that, she went back to her oranges.

Storm found that she had nothing to answer to that, either, and so turned to receive the bottles of wine from Remy. As he passed them over, he murmured to her under his breath: "Jus' remember, Stormy – Remy has ten dollars on you an' _M'sieur_ Claws gettin' it _on_ before the week is over, eh?"

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as Logan made his way across the gardens behind the Xavier Institute. Every step brought him further and further away from the steady noise and chatter of teenagers busily preparing what was supposed to be a surprise afternoon mixer in honor of the day. He rolled his eyes, shook his head. You'd think they'd be quieter, if they wanted it to be a surprise.

Turning a corner and walking past a row of geraniums brought the gazebo into view. Charles sat facing the sea, fingers calmly steepled together as he watched the waves crash into the cliffside. Unsurprisingly, he turned to face the approaching Logan even before the latter could get a hello in.

Wolverine raised both his hands in greeting anyway - a bottle of what he recognized as scotch from the minibar in his study in one hand, and two glasses in the other. Charles shook his head with a wry smile.

"Isn't it rather early for a drink, old friend?"

"Ain't never too early, Chuck," He grinned as he stepped into the gazebo. "'Sides, something tells me you could use one of these."

"And just how long have you been a telepath, Logan?"

He gave the Professor a dry look. "I don't haveta be a mindreader to tell when you need t'get away from the kids for a few... 'Course this's the first time I found you all the way out here. Usually you're at the study, or tinkering at Cerebro."

"I'm merely keeping out of their way," Charles shrugged. "They're quite busy back there, and I would hate to ruin all their effort by spoiling the surprise..."

Logan didn't answer, choosing instead to fix him with a look that quite clearly said _Right, you're gonna have try harder than that, Chuck_.

He sighed. It would be a lie if he didn't admit to himself that Logan's ability to _sniff_ out lies bothered him on some level.

"... And it was getting rather loud in the house."

Logan snorted as he handed over a glass and poured exactly two fingers of scotch in. "Tell me about it. And they still expect us to be surprised with all the racket they've been making?"

Charles chuckled. He took a careful sip of his drink before speaking up next. "I imagine it does seem rather loud for you and Henry, Logan. But that's not what I meant."

"Yeah?" Logan poured out a drink for himself, Charles decided not to comment on how much fuller his glass was.

"Yes. I'm sure you're aware of Jean and Scott encouraging their friends to build up their mental shields..." At this, Charles took another sip. "It seems they've instead taken that to mean loudly broadcasting thoughts to mask the plans pertaining to party."

Logan blinked.

"It's a trick they've learned to use when they decide to keep secrets from me, I'm afraid." He explained, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "They've used it once or twice now, to sneak in or out of the mansion after hours, if you must know."

"... Not gonna lie, Chuck, I am this close to caging those damn kids," He echoed Charles' sigh. "So what, now they're doin' it all at once, is that it?"

"I'm afraid so." Another sip of whiskey. "One can only stand the musings of a teenage mind for so long, Logan. Even out here, I am still getting snatches of Jubilee's thoughts; there is no end to that girl's carefully mapped out shopping routes for this summer's mallwide sales..." Another weary sigh. "Not to mention the endless international football statistics care of Kurt and Roberto, or Danielle and Rahne's myriad of opposing theories on _Lost_..."

Logan winced in spite of himself. And he thought he had it bad. They'd all heard the two girls arguing surprisingly vehemently about the stupid show before. It wasn't pretty, and he could only imagine what that would be like in their heads.

Charles downed the last of his scotch and handed the glass back. He shook his head when Logan moved to pour another shot, thinking of Ororo's sangria. He'd had enough for now. But Wolverine was right; the alcohol did seem to help calm his mind a little, just enough to remember one last tidbit that may interest his friend.

He smiled slyly. "By the by, it seems that young Laura has finally placed her bet in the pool regarding yourself and Ororo," Unsurprisingly, Logan fought not to choke on his drink. "It seems she thinks that either one of you would make a move by the end of the night. I wonder why that is...?"

Charles found himself chuckling heartily at the sight of Wolverine, blinking rapidly as the scotch struggled to go down the right way, the barest hint of pink appearing on his rugged cheeks.

_- Charles?_

_"Speak of the devil, Ororo,"_ Charles had answered aloud, smiling, one hand rising to his temple. He ignored the way Logan glared fiercely at him. "_How are things in mansion coming along?_"

There was a fond smile in her voice. _We are just about finished here. You may want to make yourself a little easier to find, some of the students already suspect that you know..._

She paused, and he could sense her question even before she put the words together. He hid another smile in anticipation.

_Have you seen Logan, by any chance?_

He would blame it on the scotch later, but he thought unbidden of his previous intent to put a bid of his own in the famous betting pool. He'd been immediately shot down by his own students who argued that betting against a telepath of his caliber was grossly unfair, and completely pointless.

Ororo was aghast._ Charles...!_

_With me, Ororo. He is with me, _He chuckled at her near-palpable shock and reassured her that Logan was not privy to their conversation so far. But aloud, he said: "_We won't be but a moment. And do not worry about Henry, I'll take care of informing him myself._"

_I _... _All right, then. Thank you. I... shall see you both soon._

He turned to speak to Logan then, still inwardly smiling at Ororo's response. She was calm and cool-headed so often that seeing her unsure was always rather charming.

But Logan was already on his way back, muttering about being the only sane one left in the mansion ("- _other than 'Ro, and not 'cause of any bias damn it!_")

Charles shook his head, grinning as he reached out for Hank's thoughts.

_Alas,_ came his mental reply, later. _I should have bet on tonight as well! It looks like Laura will find herself a very rich young woman on the morrow!_

* * *

**AN**: _I know most people take Charles to be the father figure of the Institute, with Hank/Logan as the awesome/gruff uncle figures of the mansion respectively, but here's how I see it: Hank helps with homework and plays sports with the kids. Logan teaches them about cars and bikes and fixing satellite dishes and is the textbook Papa Wolf to pretty much the entire student population. Charles comes off as the benevolent (if distant) grandfather-figure that the students respect and feel the need to impress. To put it simply, I felt that the role of "Dad" has been evenly distributed among the three of them; in contrast to Ororo being the sole maternal presence in the Institute (see last chapter!)_

_Sorry if Laura doesn't quite sound like herself. I tried, but somehow she wound up channeling River Tam from Firefly (Quick, somebody write this crossover!) So for a while there, I thought I was writing a scene around River talking to Inara about getting Mal a Father's Day gift... _

_Thanks to everyone who's been leaving reviews! Feedback reminds me that I should finish these things instead of wasting my time raging over the current state of the X-books (What the heck are these line-ups for Schism, eh? And what about that preview cover for November's Astonishing X-Men? Seriously, Marvel? Seriously? Yeah, I'll be over here, thanking the powers that be that Evo was left untouched.) _

_... But anyway. __Postscript: Laura and Remy split the winnings; she used some of hers to get Logan a reservation for two to a steakhouse with a lovely view ("Don't screw up.") at Remy's recommendation. Gambit bought his Stormy a new dress (and lingerie to match- well, okay, maybe not.) and asked if she would name their first child after him. He gets a lightning bolt for his troubles._


	6. Fourth of July

_I know, I know. This is extremely off-season, but I'm playing catch up with the holidays! I needed to get this one out first because it establishes a few things that I need later on. Timeline is fuzzy by the way, so let's just pretend this happens in the year just after the showdown with Apocalypse._

_This ended up being a little less dialogue and a little more prose than my usual. I hope it works!_

* * *

Summertime at the Institute was often quiet compared to the rest of the year, with many of the students returning to their homes and families. Jean and Scott had been invited by her parents to the Hamptons. Kitty was whisked off to Illinois for a family reunion and Rogue had been convinced by Kurt that they could use some time away from the team for a few weeks, and perhaps she could show him around her home state of Mississipi?

This year, however, most of the New Recruits made the conscious decision of spending most of it at the mansion. Following the incident with Apocalypse, they felt closer and safer together, rather than apart. This being the first summer that Jubilee and Rahne since their return, they were a little hesitant of spending it away from each other. Not wanting to displease their parents by letting them think they were purposefully kept from them, the Professsor came up with a compromise: he invited their mothers and fathers to a Fourth of July barbeque at the mansion.

The party had more than one purpose; show the families the kind of environment the young mutants surrounded themselves with, as well as let the kids have their summer together. The Professor went ahead and informed some potential new students and their families that if they wished to see the mansion before the fall, they were invited to do so at this time as well.

And that was how the mansion became a hive of activity that weekend. Everyone had helped out as much as they could with the preparations; not even Logan was spared, as he was cornered by Jubilee just as he stepped foot into the garage a few days ago. Ororo remembered leaning on the doorway, out of sight, listening to the young Sino-American mutant rattle off a list of reasons why he couldn't leave this time, as well as a list of his less than stellar qualities, thereby guilting him into staying. Ororo herself had been on her way to do the same (well, a much less extreme attempt), but the Wolverine was wrapped around Jubilee's littlest finger. She hadn't had to do much at all.

For the day itself, Ororo had dressed simply but impeccably well in a pretty white summer dress with a halter neckline that exposed half her back and brought out the glossy white of her hair. A pair of snappy fire engine red pumps, a cobalt blue headband and tiny rhinestone, star-shaped earrings completed her tribute to the holiday. It was in part for the occasion, but also, she thought coyly, because it made a bit of a difference now that she had someone to dress up for. She smiled in satisfaction as she noticed the persistent side glances Logan kept sending her from where he stood at the grill. Perhaps now he was happy he stayed.

"I'm certain he will have whiplash by the hour at this rate, you little minx." Hank grinned at her as he approached. He was dressed gaily in an oversized polo in flag print, with the top buttons left undone to make room for his formidable chest. Storm smiled back slyly.

"Perhaps that was the plan," She waved a dismissive hand in the air. "And it's nothing he cannot heal from, anyway. But enough about that. I see someone's popular today." Her smile turned genuinely pleased. "We've not spoken two words to each other since the guests started arriving."

Hank mirrored her glee with his own. It was true; the mothers and fathers that had arrived clicked with him almost immediately, after the initial unease at his beastly appearance. Ororo had received them as they arrived and were suitably awed by her grace and beauty, but it was Hank who they were charmed by as they mingled... Though _mingling _was an understatement - Hank was surprised to find himself drawn again and again into lengthy conversations with them by the poolside.

"Only because you intimidate them straight into my arms, my dear," He said modestly. "Dressed as you are, it's no wonder they cannot string two words together."

"Maybe," She shook her head, amused. "But I rather think it was your undeniable charm and wit that kept their attention. They _love _you, Henry."

He beamed, even as he shrugged. Even before his secondary mutation developed, he knew he'd been a favorite teacher of both his students and their parents. It was gratifying to know that just because he was no longer human-looking, that hadn't changed.

Beast had been surrounded by them, all wanting to get to know their children's favorite instructor. Some, like Jubilee's father, were interested in how the kids were getting along academically when time at the mansion was so focused on their learning control over their mutations. Others, like Sam's mother and young Jaime's parents, were more worried about their health. The representative that Amara's parents had sent (a caretaker of hers since childhood) was simply taken by his friendly personality. Roberto's parents were just happy to have someone who could converse with them in Portugese.

Most of the parents were now either speaking to their respective children or to the Professor himself (clad in a Hawaiian shirt with a muted red, white and blue floral print). Seeing a few of them just standing around, Ororo decided she would try to mingle again, arching an eyebrow at Hank when he wished her luck. He watched her cross the area with a purposeful stride in her step, hips swaying just enough to garner another heated glance from the Wolverine.

"Ah, women and their wicked wiles, He said by way of greeting as he approached the grill. "Careful you don't burn the burgers, my friend. I know you share my taste for having them on the rarer side of medium-well, and it would be a shame if you leave them unattended too long."

Logan grunted, annoyed at having been caught (not that he was making much effort to conceal the way his eyes trailed after Ororo's every move today) "Can ya blame me? Woman'd stop traffic in that dress," he complained. Jesus. He just wanted this day to be over already. Wasn't even flaming American, he thought to himself as he adjusted the apron he had on. Ororo'd insisted he wear one, so he got one with a bright red-orange maple leaf printed on the front pocket. She had rolled her eyes when she saw it, but he knew better, having caught the smile she tried to hide from him.

He spotted one of the fathers headed his way and groaned under his breath; it was Bobby's dad. Most of the dads had already tried to stir up conversation with him over the impressive grill that Logan was currently manning. It was a guy thing, he realized, and though he _was _possessively proud of the gleaming metal barbeque, he most definiteely didn't want to socialize with a couple of dads over it. Hank seemed to notice this as well, and shot Logan a pointed look that seemed to say, _You owe me for this, friend_. Wolverine grinned back, shrugged and went back to flipping burgers and dogs as Beast moved to intercept Mr. Drake. Logan caught snippets of their conversation as Hank steered them away: _state of the art_, _seen nothing like it!_, _one of our students has a way with machines_, and something about Forge's upgrades being overseen by Hank himself.

Out of habit, Logan's eyes did a cursory sweep of the backyard. Across the pool, Laura (who the parents were informed was Mr. Logan's daughter) was doing the same. Their eyes met briefly and Logan got a curt, almost-nod of acknowledgement when Dani had taken Laura's arm to join her and Tabby in taking silly, girly pictures of themselves. He snorted. Storm would tell him it was a normal, teenage girl thing to do, but that didn't make it any less of a waste of time in his opinion.

He turned his attention back to the grill, where some of the hotdogs were just about done. He'd just put a few of them into buns on a plate to cool when they were snatched by a several identical hands.

"Hey Mr. Logan!" Four Jaimes gave him the same grin while they negotiated the ketchup, mustard and relish on the hotdogs amongst themselves.

He gave the kid(s) a glare. "You gonna feed an army with that, bub?"

"Oh this isn't all for us!" Said the Jaime on his left. "Only one of me can eat anything, anyway."

"Yeah," nodded the center Jaime, who was swirling copious amounts of ketchup on two hotdogs. "This's for Sam's sister."

"This one's for Terry, and here's Layla's."

"And I've got Hisako's!"

By then, Logan had raised one eyebrow up to his hairline. Sam's sister, Paige, had indeed come along with their parents to visit. She was a mutant too, and they were looking to send her here come September, though he hadn't found out what she could do exactly. Terry, he was guessing, was the Cassidy girl that Chuck's buddy Sean had brought along with him, though she'd introduced herself as Theresa earlier. Nice little dad and daughter, but he wasn't a fan of any mutation that was hell on his ears. The little ginger was talking to a tiny slip of a blonde - Layla, his mind supplied - cute kid with a Hello Kitty tshirt and bright blue eyes that knew too much. Which left Hisako, the quiet one who'd flown in from (Tokyo?) with her mother to take a look at the Institute. Well, initially quiet, anyway. As soon as Jubes had found out she could speak English just fine, they hadn't stopped talking. Logan had a bad feeling about that.

More to the point - they were all girls who were just about Jaime's age. Logan smirked.

"Gotta hand it to ya, squirt, you act fast."

The youngest of the New Recruits (and all his clones) grinned. "Ray says girls love guys who do stuff for them!" He waved at the older boy who was standing under a tree with Bobby and Sam. They had their heads together suspiciously, but Ray gave Jaime two thumbs up before turning back to his friends. Logan suspected it was another ploy to keep the much younger Jaime from interfering with whatever the older boys wanted to do, but if the kid was enjoying himself...

Jaime spoke up before he could decide to do anything about it. "Thanks for the hotdogs, Mr. Logan!" He took off in three different directions, taking care to skirt around the puddles of water at the edges of the pool. Well, at least he was trying not to slip on anything.

He flipped a few more burgers and turned his attention back to the three boys across the yard. They were rough housing now, their harmless playing overlooked by some of the dads from a distance. It was all pretty domestic, really, and harmless since it looked like they were keeping a lid on their powers for now. _Until someone blows a fuse, anyway_, Logan thought, barely blinking when Ray let a stray bolt of lightning loose as he broke free from Bobby's headlock. One thing led to another and somehow, two frozen fists and one static shock later, Sam was careening into the pool with the force of a small tank.

Logan reacted quickly, relying on reflexes developed after years of working on the field and dealing with these students – he shut the lid on the grill and hastily saved the rest of the burgers and hotdogs from being drowned in displaced pool water. At the expense of himself, of course, but what was important was that the food was safe.

Sam resurfaced a few seconds later, his mother kneeling at the edge of the pool looking like she couldn't decide if she was worried or mad or embarrassed for him.

The Professor was the first to break the silence, chuckling as Sam grinned cheesily, brushing locks of hair out of his eyes. He chuckled softly and made some crack about Sam shouldn't have to rely on his powers if he wanted make waves. Ororo, from across the pool, simply shook her head in amusement and raised both arms to call a warm wind in and around them to dry everyone off.

"I hope everyone's all right?" She inquired, once everyone was warm and dry.

"Mostly," came Amara's forlorn voice. She knelt beside a bag of what used to be a completely dry box of fireworks that her parents had sent. They'd been soaked by the resulting splash from Sam's cannonball (pun absolutely intended), and were now damp beyond repair. A single bag of sparklers was all that survived.

Amara sighed. "What's going to happen to our lightshow?"

There was a beat, then Jubilee and Tabby exchanged a look from across the pool, grinning.

* * *

Late afternoon, just as the sun was setting, found Logan and Ororo sitting on the rooftop together. He had an arm draped casually around her shoulders, her head tilted to rest on his. Her heart stopping pumps were laid carelessly a few feet behind them; Logan had taken his time prying them off her feet when they first sat down. Ororo had sighed to herself in relief; as much as she knew how good she looked in heels, they tended to be hell on her feet. After all, she was only used to wearing them for prolonged periods of time when she had the option of flying around with them.

"This is nice." She murmured as they watched the New Recruits (and their new friends) chasing each other with lit sparklers by the poolside below. Jubilee and Tabby had disappeared beyond the forest, but she and Logan could see them from their vantage point on the roof. It looked like they were arguing over who would go first.

"Could be quieter," he replied with a gruff sigh. "Can't wait for them to leave."

She poked his side with an elbow. 'Ro had sharp elbows. "Do not be a spoilsport, Logan."

"I'm jus' sayin'!" He managed to yelp out, dodging another of her pokes. "Their folks are nice an' all, but there's too many damn people in this house as it is. Next time this happens, I'm hopping on my bike and gettin' the hell outta dodge."

She rolled her eyes and shifted away from him a little, her dress dipping low with the motion. Logan decided to amend that statement. "An' I'm takin' you with me."

That earned him a chuckle. "You can most certainly try. I would simply fly us right back."

He frowned. She would, too. Three hundred pounds of adamantium skeleton did not faze the Wind Rider.

"In fact," she mused. "Perhaps we can practice that right now."

Before he could react, she'd wrapped her arms around his wide shoulders (which, admittedly, he liked a _lot_) and threw them both off the edge of the roof.

"_Jesus Christ-_ 'Ro!" His yell was lost on the sudden gust of wind that buffeted them higher up still. "What the flaming f-"

She laughed, a sound that lessened his struggling if only because it was one of his favorite sounds in the world, right now. "Fireworks," she said as the winds carried them further out and right above where Jubilee had begun the light show. "You have not lived until you've seen them from an aerial view, my love."

* * *

**Notes  
**_Man, isn't it nice to have a universe where most of the X-Men and New Mutants have functioning families? I love Evo. Also, cheers to you if you recognize the newbies! I thought the mansion could use more estrogen; Jaime certainly isn't complaining. _

_... I'm working slowly towards Christmas and New Year's chapters, I promise._


	7. Halloween

_A bit early, or insanely late. Still, here's another chapter! A big thank you to everyone still reading this. _

* * *

"... I like the dressing up part of Halloween," Paige Guthrie was saying to Hisako, who was listening intently. They were in the kitchen, snacking on a bowl of trail mix that they'd helped Miss Munroe prepare earlier. The Japanese girl had only formally moved into the Institute last month and was getting along with her peers just fine. She was pretty informed about Western culture thanks to media exposure but seemed to absorb new experiences like a sponge.

"We din't get to dress up in those fancy costumes you get at stores much," Paige continued, "but Ma always helped us scrounge somethin pretty for all of us! That was always fun."

"I like dressing up, too." Hisako agreed, smiling. "Dressing up in costumes is always fun, but we didn't really celebrate Halloween in Japan like you do here, not until recently." There were a lot of holidays in Japan that involved spirits and ghosts or even sweet treats, but this seemed different, somehow. America just liked having excuses to do things in excess, she'd learned.

"The best part's gotta be the candy haul," Jaime says, gesturing wildly with his arms. "It's the biggest load of candy you'll ever get at one time, in the whole year!"

Hisako grinned. "I like the sound of that, too."

"Ye'd love it," Teresa piped up, by Jaime's side. "I have'n trick-or-treated here in America, but even I've heard that the candy here is somethin' else!"

"Too bad there's no way we'd get ta do it this year," Paige sighed. "We can't even leave of the mansion anymore with how bad it is out there for us."

"... We tried to do it last year," Jaime offered, after a few beats of silence. "Ms. Munroe even chaperoned us! But, there were these guys from Bayville High who recognized the older guys. We had to go home pretty early since a lot of them were starting to get kinda rowdy right there in the middle of the street... And some of the houses wouldn't even answer the door when we'd ring the doorbell..."

"I must admit, I was sorely tempted to make it rain that day, just to cut everyone else's trick or treating short as well."

The four young mutants looked up to see Storm standing at the kitchen door. Hisako smiled up at the older woman. "Ms. Munroe, hello."

Ororo smiled back. She was just passing by the kitchen when she overheard them discussing Halloween plans that may never come to be. Trick or Treating wasn't something she knew as a child, but she recognized that it was a part of childhood that was important to her young charges.

She stepped into the room to sit next to little Layla Miller, who is staring up at her as if expecting something. Ororo smoothed her hair down, idly wondering what she knew. She had a habit of claiming to "know stuff,", implying some sort of precognitive ability, but when the Professor checked her mutant powers, it only showed an ability to animate and reanimate certain objects. It was a disconcerting power all on its own.

"Now," she began, "I know you are all excited to go trick or treating this Halloween. But you know as well as I do that it's not easy for us to go out on the streets in big groups, if at all..." Ororo trailed off as their faces fell, one by one. Jamie made an effort to keep a straight face, but there was no fooling Ororo. Layla, on the other hand, just kept looking up at their Ms. Munroe.

"... But," she continued, smiling at the way Layla grinned up at her, "That is no reason for you not to have fun, is it? Let me talk to the Professor and see if we cannot figure some kind of alternative, alright?" She gave Jamie a fond pat on the head, and the young boy flushed while the girls' faces lit up with excitement.

As she left the rec room, she could hear Paige and Teresa Cassidy rapidly chattering about themed costumes, specifically Disney-inspired ones.

* * *

The plan was simple, she'd told Charles the next day (a Thursday) just before their weekly staff meeting. With so many students and rooms in the mansion, there would be quite a large number of doors that the children could knock at and get candy from for trick or treating. It's how some condominium complexes do it, she explained. Instead of going house to house, they would go from door to door in a single building. Why can't they do the same? A few of the older ones could elect to join the kids and trick or treat, but most of them would claim to be too old anyway.

And in the evening, they could even have a small get together, a little costume party, perhaps? In the spirit of the season.

The Professor had chuckled a little.

"Another party, Ororo?"

"The last gathering we had was in July, Professor. I merely thought it wasn't too soon, but if you think it is..."

"No, no. It's quite all right. I do not want to give the students the idea that we can be so free with expenses. But some things are worth spending a little for." He smiled. Preserving what little innocence their students have - especially the youngest of them - was just as important as teaching them how to control the gifts that ostracized them from the rest of humanity...

By this time, Hank had joined them. Curious, since he'd only caught the tail end of their conversation, he asked Ororo if she might elaborate. But once Storm finished catching him up with a summarized version of the idea, Hank could only chuckle heartily in amusement.

"I suppose it's a shame I never acquired a degree in dentistry!"

The Professor noted that perhaps they should order in new stock of dental floss for every bathroom in the mansion as a precaution.

* * *

She was out shopping when she received his call.

"You out doing errands, darlin? Don'cha ever take a break?"

"I am out doing errands for myself, Logan," she reassured him unhurriedly, passing a hand over some lovely black velvet. She then begins to tell him about the budding Halloween plans they were finalizing for the students.

His chuckle was wry after she finished. "Sounds like a hell of a sugar rush to deal with. Glad I'm missing out on that one."

"Are you, Logan? You know, Laura seemed particularly interested when we informed the rest of the students..."

"What, X? Dressing up?"

"Indeed. I believe Dani and Rahne have convinced her to dress up with them..."

He can't imagine it.

Ororo laughs, imagning the look on his face perfectly.

"It really is a shame you are missing out on it," she continued, and goes on to tell him how the the older students want an excuse to dress up too, and have decided to arrange a small impromptu costume party.

"Right," he sighed, and Ororo can see him rolling his eyes. "Like they don't have enough dressing up in costumes as it is..."

"So says the man whose first uniform was in orange spandex..."

There was a strangled sort of huff on his end of the line. "Whatever, 'Ro."

She grinned. "In any case, missing this really will be your loss. After all, you won't be seeing my own costume either, as a result..." she said almost suggestively, in a tone that makes him think of backless gowns and sweeping necklines that manage to tease without losing an ounce of modesty-

"... Go on, I'm listening."

"No, no. If you won't be here, then there is no point in telling you..."

Heels, always with the heels that made her long legs longer when she had to dress up, he knew.

"Come on, 'Ro! Not even a clue?"

"Why don't you come home and find out?"

He chuckled wryly. He knew how much she hated it when he was gone long. She understood his need to get away, but it didn't mean she liked it.

"Fine, fine," he said, before his voice dropped to a husky growl, "But since you won't tell me what you'll be wearin' then, how's about you tell me what yer wearin now?"

"Logan!" Her tone was admonishing, but she can't quite keep her amused grin from seeping into her voice. Logan wonders if she's blushing. He imagines she is.

Maybe he'll be home in time for the holiday.

* * *

Halloween. The older teens went all out and spent the previous night decorating the halls with cobwebs and hanging spiders and, courtesy of Bobby and Jubilee, closets rigged to spring a ghoul at you at random, if you weren't careful. The front hall was littered with jack-o-lanterns, and someone had made it so that the sound of a ghostly wail of a breeze was piped into the hallways at random intervals. Ororo had raised her hands in innocence.

The younger teenagers spent the afternoon going from room to room, their own version of trick or treating, and consequently surprised by the costumes that the older ones were wearing. They'd started from the lower levels and were now making their way up to the teachers' rooms.

"I really liked Scott and Jean's matching costumes," Hisako said, smiling at the memory of the two as Danny and Sandy. "Couple outfits... they're cute."

Jaime snickered. "Jean probably bullied him into wearing matching clothes. Their candy's great though, I'll give them that!" Hisako was busy admiring it, thinking that she couldn't possibly eat something that obviously had a lot of effort put into its preparation.

"Speaking of couple outfits, I didn't know there was something going on between Tabitha and Roberto," whispered Paige. The two had dressed as a spice girl and a football player respectively which, given the two in question, shouldn't be surprising separately. It implied curious things, however.

"I don't think there is," said Hisako. "Jubilee told me that Tabitha wanted to be Britney Spears, but when she heard Roberto would be going as Mr. Beckham, she decided it would be funny if she went as Posh Spice."

"But Kitty's costume was nice," Layla added as she unwrapped one of the Reese's cups she got from her door. "We watched the movie last week. I thought she'd wear the pretty princess dress, but the hat and coat looked really cute..."

"Can she be any more obvious, though..." whispered Paige to a giggling Terry. "And Peter wasn't even around to see it today!" Layla just smiled around her peanut butter cup.

"Plus, it's not even Disney!" protested Paige. "Fox made Anastacia." Beside her, Jamie had to roll his eyes. She was one of _those_ fans.

"Not ev'ryone decided ta do the Disney theme, Paige," Terry reminded her. "Y'just bullied your older brother to do it with us. Though I hav'ta say, he did make a very fetchin' Hercules." She giggled, and Paige made a face. ("_That's my brother yer talkin' about!_")

"And Amara looked really pretty as Megara!" Piped up Layla, smiling. "I think she was my favorite." Not in the least because the imported chocolates she'd given them looked delicious.

"Hey, can we quit it with the gossip already?" Jaime complained. It was nice to be around girls all the time, but it got kind of tiring too. "And if you ask me, Bobby, Jubes and Ray were the coolest." They all sat down at a corner, coming to the silent agreement for a candy pitstop. "Can't go wrong with Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman!"

"Rogue had a very cool costume too, Jaime." Hisako said. She had really liked Rogue's MIB costume, it was smart and sharp looking, very classy. But Paige had said it was a cop out and lazy choice ("Coat and tie and slacks; it looked like a last minute costume to me...")

"I guess. Kurt didn't do a bad job, either. Though I thought he'd be a pirate!" Considering his love for pirate things, the kids had been rather surprised when he answered his door as a ninja. "It's ironic," says Layla, going through her candy stash. "That he decided to be a ninja, I mean."

Eventually they made it to Mr. McCoy's door. A Jaime dupe was waiting for them at the door and knocked as soon as they were all gathered around him. The real Jamie straightened his Peter Pan hat just as Hank came out.

"Trick or treat, Dr. McCoy!" they said in chorus, Jaime and Paige holding out their bags of candy for Hank to fill up. Layla grinned wide when she saw what he was wearing. A rich blue waist coat with gold trimming, a lovely burgundy cumberbund, crisp and clean trousers and his hair pulled back into a low, nobleman's ponytail...

"You're Beast!" Layla laughed.

"I am a prince," he corrected, bowing grandly, "Missing a princess, and I am saddened to see that none of you fine young ladies elected to dress up as one," He said, looking over their costumes smiling. "Who will save me from my curse now?"

"Hey, I'm a princess, technically!" Terry protested. She'd chosen to go as Ariel - Jean had been the mermaid enough times in her childhood that she proved to be quite helpful in putting her outfit together for her.

"Yeah, but you're in her peasant clothes." Paige pointed out, referring to the lovely black and blue ensemble Terry was in. "Not that there's anything wrong with 'em! A lotta the princess dresses are hard to get around in!" She added, smoothing down the apron of her simple but iconic Alice in Wonderland dress.

"These were easier to put together," Hisako agreed, gesturing to her own clothes. She was dressed as Mulan, and even had a mock sword at her side. Easier and cooler, at least.

"Tinkerbell's much cooler than all the other princesses," Layla informed Hank seriously, and if he wasn't mistaken her gossamer wings scattered a smattering of glitter at her every move.

Jaime, he saw, didn't seem to have an opinion and simply held out his bag of candy. Something told him that he'd heard these explanations a thousand times over the past few weeks. Hank chuckled.

"Well, royalty or not, I am obliged to treat you with a sweet of my choice," he said, reaching behind him breifly for a basket full of Twinkies. He decided not to comment on the five dollars Paige grudgingly passed over to Jaime while he gave the youngest of his students several Twinkies each.

* * *

That evening, the students got together for a brief costume party. It wasn't anything too fancy - some music, some finger food (most of the kids had no appetite after all the candy) and, of course, a dance floor.

Logan came in fashionably late, well into the night. The "damn kids" were still milling about - he could see Remy and Piotr (as Robin Hood and Little John) talking to Danielle and Kitty over by the buffet table nearby. Kitty was animatedly explaining the movie she'd taken her costume from to Piotr (_"Look, I know it's as far away from historically accurate as you can get, but it was gorgeous! St. Peterburg's totally on my list of places to go before I die_." Piotr could only chuckle. "_You need only ask, Katya. There is no need to die._") and Remy was flirting carelessly with Dani.

Logan made his way over just as Dani was telling him where he could stuff his requests for exchanging 'archery tips'.

"I never miss, _chere_!" he called to her as she turned away with a huff. Kitty was quick to follow her, but not before giving Logan a cheery "_Zdravstvuj_, Mr. Logan! Welcome back! Love the costume!"

Remy glanced at him as Kitty bounced away, peering at the eyepatch Logan wore over one eye. "... Y'steal dat from Fury, _mon ami_?"

Logan chose to ignore the question completely (he did.) "You seen 'Ro anywhere, Gumbo?"

Remy grinned, but it was Piotr who answered for him. "You just missed her, Wolverine. She is taking the younger ones to bed."

He was hard-pressed to keep the scowl off his face. And to think, he really only made it a point to be back by tonight to surprise her. "Hnn. Guess I'll see her tomorrow."

"She be back soon, _homme_. Night's still young!"

In reply, he waved a cigar over his shoulder as he turned away to head back out the door. After the long bike ride and the even longer month he'd had on that glorified SHIELD field trip, he could really use the smoke. If anything, Remy could understand at least that.

He was just sitting down at the back porch steps when he heard a rustle of cloth come up behind him.

"Someone told me I'd find you here."

He looked over his shoulder to answer, but whatever words he had die before he can even think them. His eyebrows rose in appreciation and he fumbled his cigar.

It was some kind of strapless dress - floorlength, with a sweetheart neckline. Black, of course, and it fell right to her feet in wicked, inky black swirls that was cleverly tailored to resemble tentacles. She'd styled her white hair up into an updo, and between her collarbones rested a tiny shell-pendant that gleamed bronze in the moonlight.

"... I'm just glad I made it." The cigar forgotten and shoved into a jacket pocket, he rose to stand and meet her. "_Nice_ costume, darlin'."

"So am I. It's just a shame, though not entirely surprising, that you're underdressed." She traced a hand down the familiar thread of his worn leather jacket._ Half a point for effort,_ _though_, she thought, smiling at the memory of Remy informing her where exactly Logan had acquired his eye-patch.

Logan, meanwhile, just gave her a look: somewhere between deadpan and smoky. He let his palms rest over her hips, drawing her close. She was barefoot, he noticed. He'd expected heels, but this seemed worlds better.

"... If you ask me, I think we're both way too overdressed, 'Ro."

Ororo chuckled, reaching up to draw his eye patch aside before leaning down to give him a proper welcome home.

"Then let's get inside so we can fix that..."

* * *

_Credit where it's due: Ororo as Ursula totally came from Chellerbelle's The X-Men Present: The Little Mermaid. _

_Hope you enjoyed!_


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